A Prince among wolves
by Winter In Japan
Summary: Wolves brought seasons and change, and the family of the Emperor killed them all, breaking the balance in the world. Crowned Prince Hibiya knows this, but is his pet, Delic, who has to make him realize how much is really at stake. High fantasy AU! Mentions of many canon and alternative characters. Eventually Deli/Hibi.
1. The kingdom of Kisetsunashi

For all those who have listened to me in the times of loneliness.  
With love from the country without seasons.

* * *

The Empire of Kisetsunashi, seat of the dynasty of Those Who looked above the Crowd, holders of the ancient power over the sky, the earth and the wind, was founded when the first Emperor, Orihara Izaya, killed a wolf and learned how to end the tyranny of seasons.

The legend said that when His Majesty slashed the neck of the beast, a huge Autumn Tribe male of golden fur and brown eyes, the leaves around the castle of Thousand Swords stopped falling, and the sun shone stronger over the roofs of the palace. The ancient home of the twin founders Mairu and Kururi and the howling whisperer Kasuka, the place that was abandoned by the gentle King Sakuraya was the place of the first massacre of wolves. The King ordered all the beasts to be slaughtered, and soon his palace was filled with hunters and assassins, people who had lost something in the fires of summer, or in the avalanches of winter…

All the beasts fought and used magic to protect their families, their dens and their lives. Most of them were skilled mages, and transformed into humans at will, but their fangs and ears were too easy to distinguish for those who served as hunters.

All of them died for the glory of the new Empire and its emperor, who always wore the skin of the first wolf he had murdered as a cloak to make other remember of his limitless prowess and his great achievement. He had freed the world of all seasons, an eternal summer with plentiful crops and good hunt, a world without death…

The Autumn wolves, with their golden pelts and their howls that brought sadness to the hearts of men were now the golden rug of the palace.

The Spring wolves with their eyes of light of dusk, with their powerful magic that made the earth awaken, had their bones carved in the statues of every room.

The Summer wolves with ember eyes, that sang in packs for bringing the warmth of the sunlight were now dissected as scientific curiosities in the Royal museum.

The Winter wolves with their frozen eyes who sent the entire world in the silence of snow and ice… they were hated enough to be dismembered, their bones used as ashes and bricks to the crypt of Wolfsbane, in the end of the valley.

But death carried away the first Emperor soon; as he saw the blue eyes of his own son under the full moon. Prince Hachimenroppi was born amidst the massacre of the winter tribe, his first lullaby was the howls of agony of the beasts, their feral speech, their cries for mercy; he was taken as a bad omen, especially when the sorrow that his father saw into his changing eyes took away all of his joy and life.

Rumors spoke of the newborn Prince whispering to his father all nights, all the names he had heard in his births, all the death wishes, all the screams, all the claims of betrayal… all the blood that made his blue eyes of winterborn child crimson.

The Emperor born in the last winter reigned for 100 years, in an almost complete silence. He changed his residence from the cursed castle of Thousand Swords to another one, the smaller palace of the Gentle King, the Keep of Summer. Not even one pelt, bone or book of the wolf tribes were taken to the new palace and not a word about them was uttered; the Emperor was broken, and even in the beautiful fortress, his presence was cold, his steps made all shadows darker, and his whispers made all light diminish.

In the 67th year of his reign and life, Emperor Hachimenroppi decided to go back alone to the castle of Thousand swords. "_I have heard them…"_ he wrote in a letter for his ministers _"…their cries, asking for their mothers, cold and seething, two cubs, I must go. Tell no one to follow"_

No one knew what happened in that journey; only the ash-covered mantle of the old Emperor could tell his people that in the crypt of Wolfsbane, a place dead and cursed, he had found the ones who were crying. Two cubs, a newborn and a pup, agonizing in the crypt, near the dry fountain where the twin founders had learn how to live with wolves.

The Emperor gave orders to keep the little wolves safe; the newborn had red eyes, almost as dark as those of the old regent, and the pup had the light of dusk in his gaze. Summer and spring, nothing the people of Kisetsunashi feared or hated.

Treated as pets, the two beasts grew, not knowing about their past, their ancestry and their people; always locked away in the Imperial chambers, they learnt enough magic to make seasons change inside the castle, and of course, they were taught how to transform as humans; only their fangs and unnatural eye color told others about their wild origin.

Both wolves were completely tamed when Prince Hibiya was born; they were his pets, his servants and his weapon companions. They got names; the Emperor named the younger one Tsukishima, for the Island of the Moon where his mother was born, and the Prince named the older one Delic, for reasons only a child could understand.

Shortly after the naming of the beasts, the Emperor died; his rule left the Crowned Prince with a prosperous Empire and a seemingly happy population. Very few knew of the tamed wolves, and those who knew regarded them as pets, trophies of the Orihara family, beasts who changed a bit the colors of the garden in Summer Keep.

Until one day, in the fourth year after the death of Emperor Hachimenroppi, one hundred and fourteen years after the first murder of a wolf, Tsukishima, the pup, woke up and saw something shiny fell in the courtyard; it was something he had seen in fairytales and in the old books, he took it in his hands and gave it to the Prince.

Hibiya looked at his smaller pet with pure terror in his eyes; he called the guards, and all his ministers, gathering them where now the snow fell freely. There he shouted orders, and made his older pet to melt that cold thing right away.

But the snow kept on falling.

A long howl made the Empire remember the cold voice of winter.

* * *

**A new story is always a challenge for both creativity and bravery. I am glad if you´ve given me the chance to be read. Specially since this one here is so far away from the common stories of Durarara!**

**Because I can´t never write something normal, indeed.**

**Your opinions are highly appreciated and needed!**


	2. The pride of beasts

"_I want it to** stop**!"_

Said the Crowned Prince in his throne, covered by the old cloak of his grandfather, Emperor Izaya. The pelt of a black bear made his white and golden clothes shine below the vivid flames of the torches; his crown was shining like starlight, his cheeks were red for the effort and his golden eyes shimmered in a mixture of anger and authority. If he could forget about the Prince´s anger, Delic could say that it was a night as beautiful as his master was, the sky was clear and for the first time in his life, there was no noise outside…

The pet was sitting near the entrance, in his human form, still dressed with the white doublet made of linen, his pants were of the same color, but his boots were made of blackened leather, and his collar made of amethysts just made everyone ignore him. Collars were for pets, and pets should be overlooked, even if their work was to keep the courtyard free of snow.

It felt weird, he thought, to finally use his own magic without restriction, to turn into his animal form and feel the voices in the wind, to be one with water and warmth and bring spring again… but it wasn´t enough. He was now 38 years old, a very young age for a wolf. According to the lessons of Emperor Hachimenroppi, the shadow that rescued him and his little brother when they were cubs, wolves were mature when they were 60 and sometimes more…

Delic smiled, it all made his magic really weak, but at least he looked like a 20-year-old human, and if it wasn´t for the collar, his fangs and his eyes, no one could say he was a wolf. Perhaps one day he could make an illusion enchantment for making his eyes brown or golden, just to see what would Prince Hibiya sa-

"_There is a wolf out there and you still say my grandfather killed them all?! I AM YOUR PRINCE AND I COMMAND YOU TO GO OUT AND RESTABLISH THE ORDER OF THINGS, BRING ME ITS PELT OR I WILL CUT YOUR HEADS OFF WITH MY OWN SWORD!"_

His Majesty wasn´t happy right now, and that was something that made his heart weep a bit. Hibiya was nice when he was happy, gave him pats in his back and even allowed him to sleep by his side, even if he looked all grumpy when Delic reminded him how cute he was as a child.

But now the child that used to play with him and ride in his back, that loved to pay attention to the things he heard in the wind, was only interested in hunt the thing that howled two nights ago. That howl somehow shattered Delic, who now felt divided by his loyalty to the Prince and the need to change his form and howl along with him, with that huge white creature of blue eyes that called him and Tsukishima in the middle of the night.

Instincts were incredibly hard to fight against, but some yells from his master were enough for him to hide his tail and his ears, little Tsukishima didn´t have so much luck, and ended up transforming entirely, a cute wolf pup that tried to howl and bark to the one who was so far away.

Hibiya had locked him away in the western tower as a punishment.

That was the matter behind the presence of the young spring wolf in the throne room; he wasn´t sat at the feet of his master, not melting the snow in the stables. He was waiting for his turn to speak, and to free his little brother from his confinement: he could hear the whimpers of the cub in his bed, too traumatized to speak now. Wolves weren´t meant to be locked.

"_Roppi let me be a doggie when I wanted…" _Were his last words as the knight commander carried him in his arms to lock him in the tower. Hibiya grunted at the thought of being compared to his father; he wasn´t so dark, his words weren´t as gloomy, and his people loved him a bit more.

"_He is harsher with us though"_ Delic whispered to himself. At least the old Emperor had taught them a thing or two about their magic, while Hibiya just used them to embellish the gardens of Summer Keep, for now Winter Keep, if the old rule of its builder was used. King Sakuraya and his beastly companion had built the fortress to honor the seasons, so it could look beautiful and different with each change, and unlike the castle of Thousand Swords, it wasn´t built for war, but for government and joy.

Still, that night the Keep was filled with hunters, knights and guards shouting about their loyalty to the Empire, promises of blood and a pelt in the shoulders of the Orihara sovereign, words, words and more words. Mere noise by his ears, compared to the music that winter created in his mind.

"_You can pass now, Spring-borne"_ said the chamberlain of the throne room with his deep voice and his monotone expression. Everyone became silent, and opened a space for the wolf to pass; the whispers and the gazes of hatred were evident in some of those faces, the older ones spoke about betrayal, the younger ones about curses, and all of them heard the growl of Delic, all of them saw his fangs as he walked to the throne.

"_I have told you many times to calm down your savage nature, pet, now tell me what you want; we have a crisis in the whole kingdom"_

The whispers and gazes couldn´t hurt him, but those words did. He kept his manners and kneeled before his master.

"_My liege, I come with the request of letting my little brother free, Tsukishima needs to-"_

"_To get out and flee?"_ Interrupted Hibiya _"I saw how he turned to a beast and started to answer to the howls of winter, pet. I don´t want to go out and hunt for him if he decides to betray the Empire"_

"_He is my brother, Prince, he won´t go until he feels like it…"_

"_And he clearly does. Go away pet, unless you want to make me angry"_

Delic tried to reply, tried to say something, but he couldn´t. The Prince was right; both of them felt like leaving when they heard the howl, it wasn´t something rational, it was a feeling of their blood boiling, the need of fresh meat, the longing for the presence of the pack, the wind in their fur…

"_And don´t give me that pleading look. You look pathetic, pet"_

Delic felt it once more; a savage pride that almost made him rip off his collar, transform and go out of there. It wasn´t a feeling he was used to, he was always so complacent to his Prince, always wanting to see his smile, his hands over his back, his voice in lovely petty words that only he could hear.

He turned around and left, hearing the words about betrayal, murder, and smelled the fear in the hearts of those who served his master. He growled soundly and in the entrance, he spoke with his wild nature controlling him.

"_I haven´t betrayed my Prince, he is the one who is betraying me!"_

The hunters prepared their swords, and the guards closed his way, but a movement of his Prince made them all calm down., but he was ready to use that anger, unless…

"_Go to the tower where your brother is and wait until the winter ends"_

Unless the Prince made him remember who was the master.

* * *

He had heard.

He had felt it. Close to his heart, true like his blood, deep as his scars.

The feeling of his own power made him run faster; his lungs felt the cold air like a blessing. A century sleeping, a century waiting, or it was more?

Time didn´t mattered now. He had listened to the cries of the other beasts, those who couldn´t hibernate, and those who could listen to the trees and say that they were tired.

A world without death was an already dead world.

Now it was filled with life, with snow and ice, with coldness and purity. With the promise of rebirth after this death, how good it felt to be like this again, to feel water in all its forms around him, like an ocean where he could run.

It would have feel like home if his children were alive, if his companion could see him, if his brother could join him below the moon. However, all of them were dead, and there was nothing he could do about it; the merciful creature he used to be wasn´t entirely death, and he knew that no matter how warm was the blood of humans, it wouldn´t bring spring to the land.

He arrived to his destination. Winter Keep, built by the blessed Gentle King and Shiyonin, the One born in the spring equinox, who had purple eyes, who could forge once more the Ancient pact, the great leader who built with his magic tunnels that only wolves could use.

It was a legend amidst all clans, and something that the humans had forgotten quickly when they started the massacre. He saw one entrance near an abandoned wall, it looked like a sewer entrance, but it smelled like meat and dust, not like reek.

He ran quickly, and went right into it. He felt the smell of the pup guiding him, the sounds of his whimpers damped by the stone walls, and the sounds of speaking in growls and whispers, there was another one…

There was another wolf there, an older one, one who didn´t dared to howl when he called all his brethren. He felt anger bristling his fur; what a coward, and an idiot, to ignore the call of the pack was stupid, but then, he could have fallen into humiliation, he could have turned from a wolf to a weak dog.

He shook his head, and kept walking along the tunnels, letting his instinct guide him. There was steel, and lots of it, and food…his stomach growled, and he tried to focus on his search.

The door was small, and it creaked when he opened it with his paw; the pup was there, still in his human form, crying his heart out, trembling.

"_Come…"_

He had forgotten how deep his voice was when he spoke in human tongue.

The red eyes of the pup opened widely, and he leaned down to him, touching his head with his little hand, he looked like a human kid, not older than eight, but he felt different, as if he had developed a pact with a human. No, it was senseless now…

"_They will kill you if you are seen…th-the Prince left me locked here, and my b-brother wants to obey him…"_

He snarled. Pathetic bastard, forgetting about his own family.

"_D-don´t be angry! Please…just go out and make winter end, and then you can come here and live with us…"_

"_I don´t have time for that"_

The pup got even more scared. The white beast cursed; as a human, the pup was blonde, innocent looking, just like his brother.

Just like his _murdered_ brother.

He jumped on the pup and bit his neck.

* * *

It hadn´t been a nice discussion, even if he had won it. Why did his little brother want to follow that instinct? That could only kill them someday and make the Prince go upset, maybe even sad.

Hibiya would be sad if he just escaped like this, right?

Why did his mind doubt so much over that question?

He turned around in the bed, biting the cushion, almost ripping with his fangs. He was angry, sad, confused, anxious, he felt all those feelings like a stench consuming the very air he was breathing, and the inner fight between devotion and pride. His feral pride.

Delic growled to the roof, and hated that room, hated the fact of being locked, and hated both his instincts and his obedience to his master. All of that was useless, all that angst couldn´t make his little brother free and his Prince kind, and it couldn´t bring any change to the world.

With a sigh, he stood up and walked to the room of Tsukishima, just to find it empty. He went to the lower levers, to the top. There was nothing but stone, luxurious furniture, grumpy guards and snow…

Snow and water, whatever that caused the winter, it didn´t want to go unnoticed.

He looked around more, worrying about his brother getting lost, or escaping. But there wasn´t noise of a chase, not even a shout, and no signs of the kid; there was only one way to look after him.

His wild form was small, he thought; a wolf with pale golden fur, not too big, not too small, just a silent thing that reeked fear. His paws were silent, but he was very clumsy in that form, and had to do a great effort moving without tripping with the rugs or crash against the vases. When he entered the pup´s room, he felt the strong scent of something: snow, ash, sweat and a musk that he had felt when he turned into a wolf being dirty.

Another wolf? In the Keep? Impossible…

But he had thought winter was impossible two weeks ago.

He followed the scent, feeling how the sweeter and lighter one of his little brother was mixed with it. The tunnel was below a wooden panel near the fireplace, and it was left open; whoever the beast was, he did left a clear trail. He walked through the tunnels, and ended outside the Keep, in what looked like a sewer.

"_Secrets of the Gentle King…"_ he mumbled, running through the snow, knowing that he was clearly visible but still needed to be in that form to follow the track. It went all across the plains to the white forest near it, near the Keep and the Imperial city of Redtree, a city known by its hunters. The beast was indeed ignorant, or suicidal… same as him, the yellow wolf who passed too near of a camp, where some men had seen him.

The first arrow passed too near his side, and the second one scratched his back, making him feel a sharp pain. He ran to the forest as fast as he could, hearing the orders of the hunters to each other. They were too far to see his collar, and even if they saw it, that could only confirm his escape from the domain of his master.

His _betrayal_…

He tried to focus. There was not even a noise now, just the scent of men and wolves. He found the tracks of his little brother, he must have been transformed in the edge of the forest. Following them, he came to a darker part of the woods, where huge oaks hid a small grotto, it smelled like a sleeping bear, so he decided not to enter…

Until he heard the sounds of men fighting a beast. He feared the worst and ran, ran once more, he didn´t want to see his little brother flayed, his pelt in the shoulders of his Prince, with those golden eyes glimmering with wrath…

"_Brother!"_

It was Tsukishima, precious fortune, he was fine, his grey fur not even touched by any weapon, unlike him.

"_Tsuki! The hunters! Come with me and hide or else-"_

"_No, no, don´t worry! Let me look for him"_ Said the pup, he looked happy and unharmed. Delic felt relieved, and followed his little brother, hearing the sounds or battle turning into silence.

"_Are you sure this is fine? We should come back home now"_ He was scared. He was the older brother and he felt terrified in those unknown woods, with all the cold below his paws and the stench of violence in his nostrils.

"_Garu!"_ barked the little one _"Garu! I told you he would come!"_

The huge white wolf appeared from some bushes: he was almost twice Delic´s size, with blue eyes; it was an old winter wolf with many scars in his snout …

"_About time cub, we should get going before they realize this…"_

…and blood dripping from his maw.

* * *

**Well, this story is taking shape. I wish I could write faster, but is so hard sometimes OTL**  
**Hope you liked it! Reviews are love~! ;w;**


End file.
